Avalanche opens new online studio

Expansive Worlds to oversee The Hunter and other online titles

Just Cause developer Avalanche has opened a new studio, Expansive Worlds, to focus on casual and online games with a community-driven angle.

The company announced last month it it had acquired the rights to The Hunter, the free-to-play online title, which now falls under the Expansive Worlds remit. The new studio will be headed by managing director Stefan Pettersson.

"Expansive Worlds plays a very important part in our long-term strategy in creating and owning innovative intellectual properties," said founder and creative director of Avalanche, Christofer Sundberg.

"The games industry is still in a state of confusion and uncertainty at the moment and we are very proud being able to show a clear path to move the Avalanche Studios group successfully into the future and beyond."

Expansive Worlds will use Avalanche's proprietary engine technology, already in use in the soon to be released Just Cause 2.

"I'm excited to join Expansive Worlds and thrilled to leverage the existing technology to provide unprecedented experiences," added Pettersson. "The industry needs innovative products using innovative business models, and this is where we take the lead."

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